Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“Today’s kite flying exercise in ‘The Times’ illustrates just how feeble the Government’s efforts are when it comes to resolving the constitutional crisis of the Protocol.
“The suggestions do nothing to address the fundamental sovereignty issues of Northern Ireland being subject to a foreign legislature whose laws we don’t make and can’t change. Nor, do they address the equally obnoxious constitutional affront of being in a foreign VAT regime, foreign Single Market and under a foreign Customs Code. These are the core issues, which the current talks are not even addressing.
“Unless and until the U.K. reclaims the EU’s ill-gotten sovereignty over Northern Ireland, they are wasting everyone’s time.
“As I’ve said repeatedly it is the legal text of the iniquitous Protocol that counts, not the spin of Downing Street. The text is not changing through these talks and, therefore, the problem is not being tackled. All of which means there can be no prospect of any Unionist of principle rolling over and implementing the Protocol through Stormont.”